Apple iOS chipping away at DS, PSP for handheld gaming crown

Between the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, Apple's mobile platform is …

A new market research report shows that mobile phones—"particularly the iPhone"—make up a large and growing percentage of the handheld gaming market, while use of dedicated gaming devices like Nintendo's DS and Sony's PSP is slowly waning. With Apple's iPod touch outselling those other devices, plus the millions of iPhone and iPad sales, Apple's iOS is poised to become the number one mobile platform for games in the near future.

According to a new report by research firm Interpret, mobile phones are now responsible for about 44 percent of handheld gaming, up 53 percent over the last year. Use of a DS or PSP is down 13 percent over the same time period.

"The proliferation of highly multifunctional smartphones and messaging phones is a very real threat to the dominance by the DS and PSP of the handheld gaming market," Courtney Johnson, manager of research and analysis for Interpret, said in a statement. "Devices which satisfy a variety of entertainment and utility needs are fast outstripping single-function devices as consumer favorites."

That point is underscored by the fact that nearly a quarter of those that use a mobile phone exclusively for gaming have a DS or PSP but never use it.

Even among mobile phone platforms, however, the iPhone has attracted the most developer attention. id's John Carmack has been a proponent of Apple's iOS platform for gaming since 2008, noting that the iPhone 3G was "more powerful than a Nintendo DS and PSP combined." In a recent interview with Ars, he noted that id has ditched development on feature phones for iOS exclusively because the development process is so much more "pleasant."

"[T]here's a vocal fraction of the consumer crowd on the iDevices that really wants the devices to be the successor to the PSP or DS—they want it to be a gaming machine," Carmack said. "You're somewhat hampered by the touch interface—there's a lot of places where tactile controls really are better—but you can definitely do a lot."

Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter has also been bullish on iOS, particularly with respect to the iPod touch. For more than a year, he has argued that the iPod touch simply offers a better value proposition than a PSP or DS. While hardware pricing is somewhat similar, top-notch games cost in the range of $5-10 for iOS, while similar games run $20-30 for dedicated mobile gaming devices.

"Why would you pay $20 for Tetris when you can get it for $6.99 or $3.99 on iPod Touch?" he said late last year.

The analyst hasn't changed his tune, especially now that iPod touches are starting to outsell Nintendo and Sony hardware. "We're starting to see DS hardware sales crack," he noted on a recent episode of Pach Attack. "I think the ubiquity of the iPod Touch is cutting into the handheld market, I think the PSP was dead on arrival and I think the PSP2 is going to be dead on arrival."

Sony has made attempts to position the PSP Go as an alternative to iOS with little success. And the company is now—perhaps a little late in the game—exploring a mobile phone capable of playing PSP games. Nintendo, on the other hand, is integrating more hardware in its next-gen Nintendo 3DS, including gyroscope and motion sensors, cameras, and a 3D display; it will also be capable of playing 3D movies.

That new hardware might give a bit of a life line to the handheld market, but not for long. '[U]ltimately, I think handhelds are in trouble," Pachter said. "After the 3DS has had its little rush I think the handhelds will continue to decline."

Apple has garnered some serious attention in mobile gaming, there's no question. Still, we wonder just how much attention iOS has taken away from the DS or PSP for our readers. Do you have any iOS devices? Has it affected your mobile gaming habits? Let us know in our latest reader poll:

126 Reader Comments

You should have also included "I have some other smartphone OS device, and I compare it favorably or not to a DS/PSP/handheld". Even if the focus was iOS, it could be more telling if you compared smartphone OSes as a whole to dedicated handhelds.

I think before iOS really becomes the main platform of mobile gaming, it's going to need some support from large developers, same for the Android. Right now, I'll be sticking to my PSP, DS, and in the future, 3DS, because I know I'm going to get good games from companies like Nintendo, Sega, Square-Enix, and so on.

You should have also included "I have some other smartphone OS device, and I compare it favorably or not to a DS/PSP/handheld". Even if the focus was iOS, it could be more telling if you compared smartphone OSes as a whole to dedicated handhelds.

This. Despite the usual bias here, there are other smartphones which are perfectly capable of playing games.

I think I am right on the edge of a generational divide, having been old enough to drive when the Game Boy and Game Gear were first making their appearances. I've always been interested in games, but the hand-held units always seemed to have very marginal use; I was always driving, and therefore not able to play, at home, where I had better games with the TV gaming systems, or I was somewhere doing something much more interesting than a hand-held game system could match.

It turns out that the margin is in the toilet. As I carry two phones already, I can definitely see the benefits of having a single system to carry into the lavatory to entertain yourself while you do the necessary.

I think before iOS really becomes the main platform of mobile gaming, it's going to need some support from large developers, same for the Android. Right now, I'll be sticking to my PSP, DS, and in the future, 3DS, because I know I'm going to get good games from companies like Nintendo, Sega, Square-Enix, and so on.

iOS is already supported by Sega, Square-Enix, Capcom, and Konomi... As well as Epic, Id, EA, Warner Brothers, etc.

Other: I have an Android device I use for gaming, all be it pretty limited and mediocre gaming.

I may get a DS once the 3DS comes out and the second hand market is glutted. Most of the games I want to play on a handheld are 2d games, 'oldschool' as it were. The DS will have a nice library of cheap second hand games for me to catch up on, while the 3DS will have a variety of 3d games, many trying too hard to be 3d for the sake of 3d.

I may get an iPhone 5 when it comes out, depending on whether I emigrate for grad school. I'm sure if I get one I'll get some games for it, but without buttons I can't view it as a good device for gaming. A canonical, or even de facto standard clip-on set of 'traditional' controls would change that view entirely.

As a gamer, I'm quite looking forward to the day that Steve Jobs resigns as CEO of Apple. I don't think we'll see an Apple device designed with gamers in mind while he's in charge.

I game on my PSP and actually a bit on my Env3 with Galaga, or Oregon Trail. This makes me think Sony may be on the right track with the PSP phone.

I believe Sony is going the Android route because it's Linux-based and that makes it the easiest system to adapt to (based on Sony's PSP/PS3 underpinnings). That and Apple would never let Sony touch their OS. Sony has a good chance of delivering a decent PSP-like experience on Android.

I have all of them and, yeah, I use the iOS devices more often. However, I'm really just playing Angry Birds or similar titles all the time. There are a handful of fun games, but most are shallow time wasters. There are still much, much better games on the dedicated devices, but these days it seems I get most of my "serious" gaming from consoles or PC while my "quick fixes" come from our iOS devices.

I'm excited that there may be a psp phone because I hardly use my phone as it is (only for emergencies). Depending on what providers I use the phone for and the cost (if a data package is required) then I may or may not be interested.

I would simply say it would be so that I would have the option of gaming no matter where I was. However I would still think it would not be likely that I would use the device. Too often am I working, driving or just near my PC or PS3. Rarely am I out and about with "free time."

I'm not so convinced that the correlation between handheld usage is so clear-cut. Both the DS and PSP are 6 years old, receiving few major titles and are due for replacement within months. One could argue that people aren't playing them in favor of phone games simply because they've gotten stale - whereas iOS gaming is shiny and new.

But if Pachter's expecting the 3DS to have "a little rush" and then "continue to decline", I think he's in for a surprise.

I'm in the "I have an iPhone and a DS, and I've stopped using my DS" category. I agree that the games on DS have more depth and control better than those on iOS. On the other hand, when I'm gaming on the go, I don't want depth -- I want a quick, simple game that I can play for 2-3 minutes at a time. iOS games are perfect for that niche, plus I have my phone with me all the time.

I think dedicated portable game machines are moving toward a very small market: children too young to have a cell phone. Even that market may end up with non-phone devices like the iPod Touch if the price difference is small enough. I've noticed that my nieces and nephews (from ages 5-15) have stopped using their DSes and play games on iPod Touches now.

As a person whose job requires him to live out a backpack and a duffel bag for 9/10 months of the year, my PSP and DS were indispensable comfort items. Past tense being key.

My last four months was a return to Haiti, where my PSP and DS never left my pack. I do all of my mobile gaming on my iPhone. Next time out, I'm thinking about dumping the PSP and DS and their accoutrements.

For me, they fill different niches. I'm more likely to use my smartphone (WP7) for games on the subway, but then I never brought my PSP on the subway to begin with because who wants to carry a PSP around? On the other hand, my PSP is a portable console. When the wife is using the TV, or when I'm on a trip, or any other time that I don't have access to the PC/360/PS3, the PSP is an awesome alternative.

Also, hard to take seriously an analyst who says the PSP was dead on arrival, 63 million PSPs later....

You should have also included "I have some other smartphone OS device,

This++. Poll option design fail.

* I don't have any handheld device for gaming.* I use a dedicated handheld for gaming and don't have a smartphone or iOS device.* I have a smartphone or iOS device, but prefer to use a dedicated handheld for gaming.* I use a smartphone or iOS device for gaming and prefer it over my dedicated handheld.* I use a smartphone or iOS device for gaming and don't have a dedicated handheld.* I have a smartphone or iOS device but don't play handheld games.

You should have also included "I have some other smartphone OS device, and I compare it favorably or not to a DS/PSP/handheld". Even if the focus was iOS, it could be more telling if you compared smartphone OSes as a whole to dedicated handhelds.

There's an "other" response, though I note it's only 2 percent of the responses so far.

@ OrangeCream: I second that comment. It took Apple a while because they didn't go the normal game console dev way of making sure every major dev is on board before they shipped the first iOS device. As such there were way more good indie title available before the major devs jumped on board. The main problem is attracting 'full' (gameplay >= 15 hours with a polished experience) from indies that don't always put in the commitment. @ Dandenoth: But to call the iOS platform now not a qualified gaming experience? The touch input is subjectively good or bad. The more time you spend with it it turns ok not that bad. Of course with Apple reinventing the way we interact with a small device it through traditional GUI a curve ball and not every dev understands how to use it, but as of now they've started figuring it out. Take ID that shipped rail shooters instead of a FPS because it was easier to build to market than to make a true fun FPS experience. But if you played NOVA (a halo clone) it was a good control scheme but a lite FPS (it didn't take that long to beat).A game platform does not need big devs! As long as any dev makes a good 'killer game' the platform will be a huge success. Lucky for the iPhone it more than a portable console. I agree that there hasn't been a must have game for the iOS yet, but it will come because the iOS can survive without games.@ Lutris: All to true about Steve. He's just not a gamer. He's one of those. Hopefully the next CEO will put things like up-to-date and optimized support for the latest OpenGL spec, plus use and and support of the latest graphics cards and/or ability to buy and use graphics cards from most vendors.

I think you could make the same comparison between cameras and the iPhone. Most people wouldn't argue that the iPhone is a REPLACEMENT for their camera, but they have it on them most often and it gets the job done. I could not imagine any smartphone replacing a system with dedicated controls. Personally, I would use my handheld system more often but there has been a dearth of good games this year. Nonetheless, clever mechanisms to make controlling your character in iOS still aren't better than dedicated controls. Just ask Nintendo, who has largely turned back to the classic control style for some of their big-hitters this year (Kirby, Donkey Kong, and Metroid: Other M all primarily used the controller without the nunchuk for gameplay).

A new iPhone game comes out, I hear these great reviews (even here on Ars), pay my 99 cent entrance fee, and discover that it's another worthless non-game. It's like the Sonic cycle, but for mobile phone games. I'm sure that for some people drawing lines in Angry Birds or tapping the screen in Farmville is the height of electronic entertainment, but not for me.

EDIT: I acknowledge that the Angry Birds/Farmville group is substantially larger than the emagius group. So from the perspective of handheld sales, I fully expect the PSP2 and 3DS to suffer at the hands of app phones, just as laptops are suffering at the hands of the iPad.

I think this iOS gaming thing is completely blown out of proportion. I have an iPod Touch and I play it WAY more than my DS or PSP but that's because I am WAY more likely to have it with me as I like to listen to music with it. But I listen to music way more than I play games with it. Further, I spend more time gaming on other devices (PC, PS3, Xbox, Wii, PS2, DS, PSP) combined than I do playing games on my iPod Touch.

I also don't spend any money on the games for my iPod because 90% of the games, even from the "big publishers", are complete sh*t. Most of the time they aren't even worth playing. Whereas I have over 40 games for my DS and nearly 20 for my PSP, most of the time I don't pay full retail but I spend way more money on the DS and PSP.

Also, "Why would you pay $20 for Tetris when you can get it for $6.99 or $3.99 on iPod Touch?" Why would you pay $6.99 or $3.99 when there are a million free versions?

So, let's see: I can play games like Eve Online on my Intel Quad Core, Nvidia GTX and 30" LCD monitor or...

I can squint at some three inch little screen and go "boop boop" with my thumbs.

Decisions, decisions...

While I was sitting in the dentist's chair this morning, waiting for the Novocain to kick in, I was able to reach over to my jacket pocket, grab my iPod Touch, and play a few rounds of Plants vs. Zombies. I'd like to see you do that with your Quad Core and 30" LCD monitor.

In other words, that earthshattering whooshing sound you just heard was the entire point of mobile gaming flying right over you head.

Also, iOS devices are beating the PSP? Unpossible!! I keep seeing a snotty pre-teen kid on TV smack talk mobile gaming on those systems, in favor of the PSP. Surely that kid can't be steering me wrong!

I actually use my iPod touch (2nd gen) less than my DS for gaming because the battery life use is pathetic on the device. What makes things worse is that plugging in the touch makes it awkward to use. I can't understand why anyone would consider that acceptable in a portable gaming device. I cringe at the thought of my daughter having only enough juice to entertain herself for the first hour of a flight.

You should have also included "I have some other smartphone OS device, and I compare it favorably or not to a DS/PSP/handheld". Even if the focus was iOS, it could be more telling if you compared smartphone OSes as a whole to dedicated handhelds.

There's an "other" response, though I note it's only 2 percent of the responses so far.

Probably because people like me just won't vote if all we're given is "other"

The touchscreen D-pad is a lousy replacement for a real one. I'm not satisfied with the responsiveness of the touchscreen for making sure my gaming actions performed as I want. And the inexpensive (mostly indie) iPhone games feel like sophisticated grad school projects of some kind.

I'm a cheap person, but a sometimes, you get what you pay for. My DS has seen much more use, because the games are better, and it just feels better.

So, let's see: I can play games like Eve Online on my Intel Quad Core, Nvidia GTX and 30" LCD monitor or...

I can squint at some three inch little screen and go "boop boop" with my thumbs.

Decisions, decisions...

While I was sitting in the dentist's chair this morning, waiting for the Novocain to kick in, I was able to reach over to my jacket pocket, grab my iPod Touch, and play a few rounds of Plants vs. Zombies. I'd like to see you do that with your Quad Core and 30" LCD monitor.

In other words, that earthshattering whooshing sound you just heard was the entire point of mobile gaming flying right over you head.

Also, iOS devices are beating the PSP? Unpossible!! I keep seeing a snotty pre-teen kid on TV smack talk mobile gaming on those systems, in favor of the PSP. Surely that kid can't be steering me wrong!

there are also those of us who don't need to play games at every moment we're not entertained. i've got a few on my galaxy but honestly they're nothing compared to ds/psp games. i don't play my ds either and i've also not played my 360/ps3/wii in forever so there you go.

i'm still in the camp that believes real controls are needed. i've not seen a game yet on ios or otherwise that works well with touch/rotation. just clunky at best and unusable at worst. the 3ds looked interesting until the rumored price was announced and then i looked at my ds that hasn't been turned on in over 6 months and yeah, i think i'm out of portable gaming on any device at this point.

For more than a year, he has argued that the iPod touch simply offers a better value proposition than a PSP or DS. While hardware pricing is somewhat similar, top-notch games cost in the range of $5-10 for iOS, while similar games run $20-30 for dedicated mobile gaming devices.

Seeing how most DS owners have fewer than a dozen games, the "iPod Touch is cheaper" argument fails every time. When you factor in the used market, or if you want to have an iPod with some storage space on it, iOS continues to get even more expensive. You can try to win that fight against the PSP, but the $20-$30 game price doesn't stand up too well there.

The only way to argue that iOS is somehow cheaper as a gaming platform is to lie or ignore the facts.

Bought a iPod touch for my 4 year old last year, best purchase ever for him. The preschool apps, games, and doodle apps along with being able to watch videos and look at pictures has been fantastic. When he goes to bed it still gets use from my wife or myself.

It was $50 more on the front end but the lower cost for apps and added functionality can't be beat. It was a complete no-brainer for me over any other handheld.

There's DS, DS Lite, DS XL... seems like Nintendo has some hardware variations that are fresher.

well they don't add any new graphics so yeah, the ds is way too old.

one thing i think will hurt ios is the fact apple releases a new one each year. there's no real life cycle to those things. kinda like a PC in some sense. what do devs target? 3g? 1g? 4? ipad? is that why a majority of the games are trash throwaways?

maybe we're getting to a point where portable gaming is becoming throwaway. i don't know.